Hungary to host 2020 European Championship events

By Zoltan Fazekas

BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Hungary will stage the 2020 European swimming, waterpolo and open water championships, the first time one country has been chosen to host all three events, aquatic sport’s European governing body (LEN) said on Saturday.

The waterpolo will be held in January with the swimming, diving and synchronized swimming staged in May, both in Budapest, while the open water championship is scheduled for June in Balatonfured, said LEN president Paolo Barelli.

“Budapest loves sport, Hungary loves sport, that has been proved in a lot of excellent events,” the Italian told a news conference to announce the hosting rights.

“We have a high-level and good working cooperation with the Hungarian Association – the ongoing junior European Championship in Hodmezovasarhely is a good example.

“Success is guaranteed as Hungary will be the host and is now preparing for the 2017 world championship.”

Hungary is a powerhouse in waterpolo, winning three Olympic golds in a row before te 2012 Games in London, when they finished fifth, with nine Olympic golds in total.

The country has also always had world class swimmers, including world champions Katinka Hosszu and Laszlo Cseh who are among the favorites for gold at the Olympics in Rio in August.

(Reporting by Zoltan Fazekas; editing by Ken Ferris)